Almighty God, You know we live in the midst of so many dangers that in our frailty we cannot stand upright. Grant strength and protection to support us in all dangers and carry us through all temptations; through Jesus Christ, your Son, Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
I look out the window of my house and I see Bill walking by. He is the retired administrator of a local Christian school. He shuffles along, white cane in his hand. Bill is nearly blind; he had a stoke a while ago which has altered his gait and sense of balance and accelerated his Alzheimer’s condition.
The prayer speaks of us as frail and unable to stand upright. I look at Bill and am grateful for my glasses which still let me see, my body which has not betrayed me as his has done, and the ability to know how to find my house after a walk. But spiritually speaking am I far more like Bill than I might like to admit? I quickly fall prey to temptation, envious of another’s success or holding some petty grudge. Is my stride really so firm and my eyesight truly so clear?
Bill never walks alone. His wife is always at his side. She is of an age when retirement should mean travel, a social group, and, knowing her, volunteering at some worthy cause. She is a bright and vivacious woman. But she walks attentively by her husband. She clearly loves him and would not be anywhere else. I am sure there are days when she is tired. I see her children sometimes taking Bill for his walks now. She needs a break, and they seem to be stepping up for her, but then, we see her and Bill again. Christ your Lord never grows weary of walking at your side. We pass through dangers which often we cannot see or do not know, but He sees and knows them all. He is too a human being, just like you. He has His eye on them and has kept you from pitfalls and perils which mercifully you will never know.